Hey guys, sorry for uploading this kinda late. School started so now I am even busier. But fear not, I will not abandon this story! you guys and I have come too far for that to happen. With that being said, enjoy and please review. And sorry for mistakes I have made. I don't have beta reader...
Chris sighed,"That, my friend, is a grave matter on it's own". Chris left his spot beside Windwalker and walked to one of his cave shelves. He scanned the shelf until he found a dark, clay vase. He then pulled out the map and walked back to the fire pit.
"This map", he announced as he held it up for everyone to see, "is the key to our destruction. This can not fall into my enemy's hands. If it does, not only will this dragon's nest fall, but every single nest in existence will fall, as well".
"What could be so special about that map?", scrutinized Snotlout.
"Before I get to that, you must first know who my enemy is", Chris stated. "When I first arrived at this nest, most of the dragons here were skeptical that a human, me, can be so nice to dragons. They were initially hostile until Windwalker, their alpha, told them of what I did when her and I were imprisoned at that camp. But still, they were wary of me, and to be honest, I would too. I mean, who would bring a human into a dragon's nest? Anyways, all their doubts of me were washed away when I spoke their language and told them my story and where I came from. Then, they started to trust me and soon, they opened up to me. Once I was fully welcomed and accepted, I vowed that I would help the nest as much as I can. Windwalker here decided that the best way I could pull my weight around here, was to help defend the nest".
"Question: How? I mean, you're a human and all, and you are surrounded by dragons who are bigger and stronger than you", Tuffnut interjected.
"I asked the same question to Windwalker and she said the best way to defeat your enemy, is to think like your enemy".
"Uh, so wait, you and Windwalker are enemies?", Ruffnut burst out.
"No, you dummies. She meant that if they had a human on their side, they could figure out their enemy's logic and tendencies because Chris is a human", Astrid scoffed.
"Exactly", Chris confirmed. "I was able to figure out how they would lay their dragon traps, where and when they would attack, how they would attack, and so forth, all on the back of a dragon. After constant battles that we won effortlessly, they became less and less of a problem. Pretty soon, it seemed liked they had given up all on their own. That is, until they discovered, huo yao".
"Wait a minute. First off, tell us who your enemy is. Second, what is huo yao?", Tenor commented.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I totally forgot about that. My enemy is an empire, who call themselves the Song dynasty. They attack and slaughter dragons without remorse. Why? Because apparently, we mock their beliefs. Huo yao...well, it can only be described as explosive powder".
"Mock their beliefs?", voiced Fishlegs quizzically.
Chris turned his attention towards Fishlegs,"The Song worship dragons, but of a different kind. These dragons are long, sleek, have thick muzzles, huge eyebrows, no wings, and long whiskers. I have never heard of any type of dragon that has matched that description. And since no dragon in this nest comes close to fitting it, they claim us to be imposters and kill us for belittling their religion".
Aurora thought this over and commented, "You must be talking about the ancient ones of the East. They were here a long time before Re's grandparents were king and queen. They were actually apart of my father Draco's army. They ruled this side of the world for many, long years, before they suddenly vanished".
As everybody digested this new information, Hiccup decided to get back on track.
"Explosive Powder?", questioned Hiccup.
"Yeah, let me show you", Chris replied. He walked to a different cave shelf and grabbed a hand-sized, dark blue pouch off it. He walked back to the fire pit and stood opposite of Windwalker, across the fire. "Now I warn you, this thing is very dangerous", Chris cautioned,"You ready Windwalker?".
Windwalker nodded and quickly shielded herself with her wings. Chris opened up the bag and reached inside of it. He pulled out what looked to be black sand and threw it towards Windwalker. Once the flames consumed the powder, the fire immediately expanded and shot out towards Windwalker, accompanied by smoke and a small, but loud 'boom'. The flames engulfed about half of Windwalker's body before it dissipated into thin air.
Everyone was shocked at what just unfolded before their eyes. They backed up at the blossoming fire and took defensive positions, wary of any more surprises. The excess heat was still lingering in the cave, before Valka decided to speak, "What in the name of Odin was that?!"
"That was huo yao", Chris answered as he returned the pouch to its respect place on the shelf.
"That is… that is sorcery!", exclaimed Eret.
"Believe me, I wish it was. But I can guarantee you it is very real", Chris responded as he sat back next to Windwalker, who came out unscathed. "...and that was just a tiny bit of it. Imagine what you could do if you had a lot of it".
"Bad things would happen", decided Serenity,"Very bad things".
Chris looked at Windwalker, then at Serenity with sad eyes. "Bad things have happened already. It's kind of hard to fight when you can't heal a wound. That is why we usually don't plan an full-scale attack. Once they're injured, they're out. We just simply can't sacrifice those numbers".
"Wait… you have wounded? And have no way of healing them?!", Serenity shouted.
"Well, yeah".
"Where are they. I will heal them now!"
"What do you mea-. Wait, I remember… you were learning how to heal before I disappeared. Are you telling me you actually became a full-blown dragon healer?!", Chris asked with hope in his voice.
"Yes! We are wasting time talking. Take me to them!", ordered Serenity as she got her medical supplies off of Re's saddle.
"Windwalker, take her to the injured now!", commanded Chris.
"You don't have to tell me twice", roared Windwalker. She lowered herself so Serenity can climb on. As soon as she was settled on her back, Windwalker zoomed out of the cave.
Chris released a breath that he didn't know he was holding. "Thank the gods! We finally can heal these dragons", he said more to himself.
"You guys had no way of healing a wound?", Re asked.
"We can do small wounds, but now these wounds are progressing to life threatening. If you get shot by of the Song's weapons, you won't survive! Either you'd get killed instantly, or would die from the wound. That being said, I cannot attack directly. my only option is to defend. But now that we got a healer, this will help us save the dragons who risked their lives for the sake of the nest", Chris informed.
"So the Song are using 'who-whoa yow' Yao to help them win this war? How? What's their weaponry like?", Hiccup asked.
"They pack a bunch of arrows into some type of tube. That tube is packed with Huo Yao before hand, so after they package the arrows, all the have to do is ignite the powder and a swarm of arrows is flying towards you at the speed of a Night Fury. You can pretty much figure out what other types of weapons they can make with explosive power", Chris concluded for Hiccup.
Chris could see Hiccup's eyes widen as he thought about all the potential dangers Huo Yao possesses.
"This map leads to a mountain range that houses the key ingredient of Huo yao. This mountain range has pockets full of it. Just imagine how unstoppable the Song will be if they had a virtually, endless supply of it? Since I have this map, I can cut off their weapons effectively and win this war! I'm sorry Hiccup that it had to be this way. Truly, I am. But you have to understand how important this is to me. How would I know you wouldn't give it to me peacefully and I would have to slaughter just to get this map? How would know that you wouldn't just keep the map to yourself, discover the powder, and use it? I could not take any chances. That's why I attacked your village. But I am not the bad guy here. I told my dragons not to kill anyone on that raid. I may seem dark and mysterious, but I am not evil! ", Chris continued.
Hiccup was silent as he thought this over. After a minute of dead silence, he looked up at Chris with a sigh, "As much as I don't want to say this, I understand".
Astrid got up and yelled,"What?!" Hiccup, this man and his dragons raided our village. For Odin's sake, he almost got Toothless killed. Have you not realized that?".
"Astrid, think about it. If I was in a war, I would do whatever it took to make sure the ones I care about were safe and that the enemy was defeated. I understand that you are upset, but please listen to reason. He got what he wanted, he has no reason to attack you guys ever again". Re turned to his son, "Am I right?".
Chris turned to his father and nodded,"Absolutely. And besides, why would I want to destroy a village, probably the only Viking village in this world, that has made a peace with dragons?".
Hiccup smirked, 'I figured so'. And with that he stood up and walked over to Chris. Chris focused his attention on Hiccup and was suspicious at what the latter was intending on doing. Hiccup locked eyes with Chris for a few seconds, then extended his hand toward him. Everyone was shocked, to say the least, at Hiccup's action, especially Astrid.
"What can I say? You seem like a good guy and treat dragons with the same, if not more, respect than I do. I want to make a truce. I want us to be allies. More importantly, I want to stop the innocent bloodshed of dragons", announced Hiccup firmly.
Chris looked Hiccup straight in the eyes, processing what he just heard. After a few seconds, he smiled and his eyes shined with joy."Thank you, and I more than happy to call you my ally", Chris exclaimed as he shook Hiccup's hand vigorously.
Re stood up, followed by Aurora and Tenor. "As the king of the dragons' homeland, I wish to offer mine and my comrades' help in winning this war", Re decided sternly.
Chris turned to face his family, and a saddened look crossed his face. "No, I-I can't ask you to do this for me. I can't let you face my problems for me. You guys just came back into my life, I-", Chris stuttered.
Re growled loudly and approached Chris, looking at him dead in the eye, "Let's get one thing clear here. I am your father. You are my son. And though, I am worried that you have been fighting a war for about 10 years, you are an adult now. I can't tell you what to do. But, as a parent, I will always be there for you. It is our job to be there for you no matter what. We will always offer our help, because that is what family do for each other; we look out for one another because we love each other. I love you, Chris. Did you hear me? I love you, Chris. Not only as my son, but as the man,no… dragon, you turned out to be. You have proven yourself to be one of us countless of times, I just never got the chance to tell you so", Re finished softly.
Chris's mouth was hanging wide open in amazement. He was on the verge of tears, overwhelmed by the emotional words that left his father's mouth. He wrapped his arms around his father in a tight embrace and rested his head against his father's armour. Re reciprocated the action and nuzzled his son lovingly.
Chris pulled back with a warm smile across his face, "Let's end this war together". He then faced the rest of the group. "Let's end the slaughtering once and for all. Let's end the Song dynasty!", Chris shouted strongly.
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement (with Astrid nodding her head reluctantly, as she was still suspicious). With that, everyone returned to the fire to discuss strategy that will surely help them change the tide in the dragon-Song war.